Lenovo's Commitment to Te Reo Māori with Bilingual Keyboard Innovation

Kia kaha te Reo Māori! It’s Māori Language Week and a fitting time to give a shout out to one of our amazing members, Lenovo. While they’re the world's largest computer maker, it’s clear that they remain committed to their vision to deliver smart technology for all. When their NZ Country Manager, Libby Macgregor, put in a request for an Aotearoa New Zealand bilingual keyboard, designed to seamlessly write in te reo Māori, its Product Diversity Office (PDO) was all ears.

“I was inspired by a conversation I had with my 8-year-old son about why there wasn’t hardware available to support his learning of te reo Māori. Ensuring that technology benefits everyone is at the core of what Lenovo does and I wanted to create something that could help revitalise and protect an important part of our country and culture – the language. We created something that could support the learning and use of te reo Māori," Libby says

Lenovo has been based at Generator in Auckland since 2016. Like other global tech companies who have joined Generator, Lenovo has a relatively small (but in Lenovo’s case, growing) footprint in NZ. They don’t have a big back office team locally so prefer a smaller, more flexible home for their largely sales-focused staff. Generator facilitates a hybrid way of working that suits the team to a tee.

Lenovo has more than 20 people nationwide, spread across Auckland and Wellington.

“We first joined Generator in Auckland at the Northern Steamship Company site, then moved to Madden Street, then Britomart Place,” says Libby Macgregor, Country Manager. “We’ve had different moves across their sites as we’ve grown and responded to changes within our business. We recently opened a second office for our Wellington-based team in Generator’s Waring Taylor building. We found Generator really flexible and supportive in making these movements happen.”

Libby says whilst they offer hybrid ways of working, they still maintain an office space for their employees. The amenities on offer at Generator and the connections formed between her people and Generator’s team of business and hospitality professionals are a massive drawcard.

“I think the quality of the offer, such as the concierge service, is pretty unique. Nothing is too difficult. On top of great facilities – a huge variety of breakout spaces, cafes, rooftop bar etc – the people are wonderful.”

“We are very happy with the service that has been provided during these years. Generator understands our needs and provides us with the ability to flex and change as we need – something that is not easy to find with more traditional operators. It’s very easy to do business with Generator.”